Never Apart
by NALEYAAF23
Summary: Second story in the Never series. Derek and Meredith are busy taking care of their five kids. Their happy lives are turned upside down when Meredith's past comes back to haunt her. With Derek in another state, she is on her own. Will she be able to manage? Or is this situation too big for her to handle on her own?
1. It Takes a Village

**A/N** : Sequel to Never Alone. I had written this story before, but I couldn't keep up with updates. Hopefully, this time will be better.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **It Takes a Village**

Meredith smiled proudly as C.J. marched into the gym with his classmates. It was easy to spot him. He looked like a mini version of Derek with his dark brown hair. She watched as the teacher led the graduating students to their seats. She was distracted for a moment as Nicky tried to wiggle out of his aunt's lap. Both Amy and Owen tried to get him to settle down. Meredith wished Nicky could be like his twin sister. Abbey was content in sitting in her mother's lap and watch her big brother's kindergarten graduation ceremony. Then again, that was the difference between the twins.

Meredith wished Derek could be there with them, but he was still working. Like Meredith, he grew unhappy in his teaching job. He loved his students, but he didn't want to teach biology anymore. He wanted to spend more time with his family. With five kids including a special needs child and twins who still needed attention, it was hard to get one on one time with each child. Luckily, there were plenty of babysitters who were willing to help out. Especially Owen and Amelia.

The two parents were grateful, but they still needed an income. Meredith still worked part time at a clinic and they couldn't live on her salary alone. Derek's writing career hadn't taken off, but he didn't want to give up. He found a job as a bartender at the bar across from the hospital where Meredith's friends worked.

"How is it that Abbey is so well behaved?" Amelia whispered as she continued to struggle with the toddler. "Can we switch?" she asked pleadingly. Meredith knew it was time to go into mom mode. She let out a heavy sigh before she gently pushed her daughter out of her lap. "Thank you," Amelia said gratefully.

"You owe me," Meredith replied as they switched kids. She gave her son a stern look and did her best to convince him to sit down on her lap. After a few struggles, he finally gave in and they were able to watch the ceremony. When it came time to announce the graduates, Owen hurried with the rest of the parents who wanted to get a closer picture of their graduate.

"Three down, two more to go," Amelia told her. "They grow up so fast, don't they?" Meredith nodded. "It makes me want to settle down with Owen. For good." Meredith didn't respond. Since Amelia and Owen had started dating, they had broken up twice. They were together for the third time and they seemed committed to stick to it. They decided to take it slow and they were just now planning to move in with each other again.

"Well, you will have all evening to spend time with Owen," Meredith reminded her. The Shepherd family was invited over to Alex's and Jo's house. They just had a new baby and they wanted to show her off to their friends. The kids were excited to meet their honorary cousin. Especially Katie and Morgan. "We'll only be gone for a couple of hours. It's already been a big day for C.J." Amy nodded understandingly.

Just then, they heard C.J's name and they clapped and cheered. C.J. smiled proudly as Owen snapped a few photos. Meredith was happy he was willing to cooperate. With C.J's Asperger's, she knew it was hard for him to cooperate with certain things. But he was always happy to see his Uncle Owen. The two had a special bond. When it came to his lessons, he always wanted to work with Owen and Owen tried to be there for him as much as he could.

Owen returned to his seat and he showed off his pictures to the others. "I'm going to send these to both Derek and Addison," he told them. Unfortunately, Addison had moved to Los Angeles for a new start. Not to disrupt their lives, she didn't take the kids with her. The kids missed her, but they talked to her every week. And Derek and Meredith sent her daily updates.

It wasn't long after the graduates received their diplomas that the ceremony was over. There were a few more pictures with the graduate and his siblings before C.J. was done. He was ready to leave. As promised, Owen took him out for ice cream while Amelia and Meredith waited for the girls to come out.

Once everyone was rested and Derek had returned home, the Shepherd family headed to the party. When they arrived, the kids immediately wanted to go to the front door. However, Derek and Meredith called Katie and Morgan back so they could help bring gifts and food into the house. The girls groaned, but they obeyed their parents.

Katie and Morgan let C.J. ring the doorbell and Alex opened it. He hugged his nieces and nephews before he took the food from the girls. He led them into the living room where everyone surrounded the new mother and baby. Besides the new parents, there was Dr. Bailey and Dr. Webber. Meredith could also spot Arizona Robbins and Cristina Yang.

Meredith's attention went to Jo as she brought her daughter over to the Shepherd family. She bent down to the children's level so they could see the baby up close. "Guys, I would like you to meet Sarah Marie Karev." Katie and Morgan were simply enchanted with her. The little kids looked at her with fascination.

Jo let them look before she got up and turned to Derek and Meredith. They gave her a smile. "She's beautiful," Derek complimented. "Can I hold her?" he asked. Jo nodded and carefully put the baby in his arms. He looked down at the baby and smiled at her. "Hello Sarah. I'm your Uncle Derek."

Meredith watched the scene fondly before she followed Alex into the kitchen and began helping him take the food off of the trays. "So how is the new dad?" she asked as she put her own tray down on the kitchen island. "Are you enjoying the sleepless nights?"

Alex gave her a look. "Very funny. At least I don't have to worry about the terrible twos for a couple of years. Are you enjoying that stage?"

"I will when both of my kids are potty-trained," Meredith replied. "Abbey is picking up on it. It's Nicky who is having trouble. They are supposed to attend preschool in the fall and the school won't accept them if they aren't potty-trained."

"Don't worry about him. I'm sure he will pick it up soon," Alex assured her. "Besides, you have all summer to work on it. You're a great mom, Mere. Why do you think Jo and I chose you and Derek as godparents?" he asked. Meredith knew he had a point.

The conversation was interrupted by Abbey running into the kitchen. She went past her mother and right into her Uncle Alex's arms. He gave her a wide smile. "Hey, how's my niece? Do you want to play with your favorite uncle?" Abbey nodded. "Alright. I'll take a break from hosting duties and play with my favorite nieces and nephews. Let's go find your brothers and sisters." Meredith followed him into the living room and joined the party.

After several guests took their turns in holding the new baby, Meredith finally was able to hold little Sarah. Holding her reminded her of the day Morgan was born and she held her daughter for the first time. Now Morgan was eight and she just finished second grade. And Nicky and Abbey were growing up too. Despite being born premature, the twins were doing well with hitting their milestones.

"I do hope this doesn't encourage you to want another one anytime soon," Mark said as he and his son made an appearance. Ben went to play with his cousins. "We can't keep up with you and Derek already. Six would be just showing off."

Everyone laughed as Derek looked at his friend. "Very funny. As much as the kids would love to have another sibling, we're not planning to expand our family. We're free to send the kids your way. That way, you would know what it's like to take care of five kids. Speaking of kids, where's the rest of your family?" he asked, referring to Lexie and little Elijah, who was born just three months ago.

"Don't ask," Mark replied, not wanting to discuss it in front of the other guests.

The party continued until the doctors began to get pages from the hospital. They couldn't ignore their call of duty and Alex and Jo decided to end the party early. Alex and the other doctors went to save the day. Jo wanted to go with them, but she was on maternity leave. She let Mark, Ben and the Shepherd clan stay and help Jo clean up. The girls were more than willing to help while Ben, C.J. and the twins continued to play. Mark and Derek eventually wandered to another room and Meredith knew they were going to talk about why Lexie didn't arrive with Mark and their son.

As they were finishing up, Alex returned to the house. He greeted everyone before he spoke. "Derek and Meredith, do you think we can talk for a few minutes?" Meredith nodded. From his tone of voice, she could see it was serious. The adults made sure the kids were playing nicely with each other in the den before they returned to the living room.

Jo put the baby in the nursery before joining them. She sat down next to her husband on the sofa as Alex spoke again. "Look, we know you already have a lot of kids and Mark and Lexie has asked you to watch over their kids if something has happened to them." There was a short pause. "But Jo and I have been talking about our wills and who we would want to watch over Sarah if we're not here to raise her."

Derek and Meredith began to understand where this conversation was going. Derek was the one who spoke up first. "You don't have to say anything. Meredith and I would be happy to take care of Sarah if we had to."

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Jo asked, trying to hold back her tears. She wasn't expecting them to agree so quickly, but she was happy they were willing to take their little girl in if there was no other choice. "We don't want her to be an inconvenience."

Meredith embraced her in a tight hug. "Are you kidding? She would never be an inconvenience. Even if we did have Ben and Elijah with us, we would still make room for Sarah."

Derek nodded in agreement. "You're part of our family. That means she would be welcome in our house anytime."

Alex gave them a smile. "Thanks," he replied as he embraced his friend in a hug. "That goes for your family too."

They pulled away as they heard arguing in the other room. "I think that's our cue for us to leave," Derek said. "I'll start gathering the troops." Meredith and Alex were right behind him, knowing he would probably need help.

Once they said their goodbyes, they piled up in the van and headed home. There was chatter for a little while, but the parents soon found out their children were fast asleep. Even the two older girls were sleeping. Derek looked at the time before turning to Meredith. "Do you think we gave Owen and Amelia enough time to themselves?"

"Well, we have been gone all evening," Meredith pointed out. "I really do wish they would make up their minds. One day they're dating and the next day they're not. Were we this much trouble when we were dating?"

Derek tried not to laugh. "Do you really want me to answer that?" Meredith realized he was right as she remembered their issues. He let out a heavy sigh. "Amelia is a lot like you. She has commitment issues and she's afraid of repeating the past."

"Maybe it's time to face her fears so she can move on with Owen," Meredith suggested. Derek didn't answer. She changed the subject. "It's crazy, isn't it? It seems like everyone wants us to look after their kids."

Derek smiled. "I think it's even crazier that we agree to watch all these kids. I'm sure Owen and Amelia would ask us too if they had kids." Meredith laughed. "I suppose we are setting a good example by taking care of our blended family as well as we have." He let out a heavy sigh. "I still feel bad that I missed C.J.'s kindergarten graduation."

"It's only kindergarten," Meredith told him as she took his hand. "You still have twelve more years with him."

Her parents laughed. "Good to hear because I don't want the kids to grow up yet," Derek replied. "I want them to stay kids as long as they can." There was a short pause. "How much longer will the girls get to stay kids?"

"We have a few more years before they start junior high," Meredith replied. "That will be fun."

"We can always send them to Addison in Los Angeles," Derek said. "She will straighten them out."

"Doesn't she have a new boyfriend now? Jake somebody?" Meredith asked. She had only heard about it from Katie, but she wasn't sure if she had heard wrong. Derek nodded. "Are you okay with that?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah, she deserves to find someone who makes her happy. The true test will be when he meets the kids. Addison says he likes kids, but I'm not going to believe it until I see him with them. She's bringing him with her to Seattle when she comes and visits next weekend."

"Don't worry. I'm sure your first meeting will go fine," Meredith replied. "If he doesn't exceed your expectations, then you can chase him away." Derek smiled. "Did you have a chance to talk to Mark?"

Derek nodded as he gestured to the kids. Meredith knew that was the sign to wait until the kids were out of earshot. Meredith waited patiently until after they arrived home and the kids were settled in their bedrooms before Derek told her about Mark's problem. Little Ben was jealous of the attention his new baby brother was getting from his parents.

"Maybe they should ask Lizzie for help," Meredith suggested. "After all, she's a child psychologist."

Derek nodded before he turned to Owen and Amelia. "We need to talk." Meredith looked at him. She was not prepared for this. What did he want to discuss with Owen and Amelia? "I know it's none of our business. I don't want to play the overprotective big brother, but we want to know where you guys stand on your relationship. We do want to see you guys move on to the next step, but it's hard seeing you guys break up and get back together again. It's hard on the kids."

"We only broke up once," Amelia reminded him. Derek gave her a look. "Okay, it was twice."

"We do understand where you are coming from," Owen added. "Right now, we're pretty stable in our relationship. As for the next step, we're planning to move in together. That way, all the kids can have their own bedrooms and we can have some privacy and focus more on our relationship."

"I know the kids are going to be disappointed, but I will still be around to help out," Amelia promised. "Both of us will be."

"Good because we might need it with all of the kids who might be moving in our house," Derek joked.


	2. Two Against One

**Chapter Two**

 **Two Against One**

Meredith was busy attending to the twins when she heard heavy footsteps running down the stairs. She turned towards the stairs and she noticed Katie and Morgan were about to head out the front door. She frowned. "Girls, where are you going?" she called, stopping them in their tracks. She hurried to the front door and gave them a stern look. "You know the rules. You can't go anywhere until after you finished your chores." Katie and Morgan groaned.

Meredith was firm. "I don't want to hear any excuses. Now go upstairs and make your beds and make sure your rooms are picked up. I'm going to go upstairs and check once you're done." She could hear grumbling as the girls marched back up the stairs as Amelia came downstairs.

The girls were only upstairs for a few moments when Meredith heard yelling. Amelia took charge of C.J. and the twins so Meredith could check on Katie and Morgan. She hurried up to the second floor. Derek met her at the top of the stairs and they ran to the source of the yelling: Morgan's bedroom. To their surprise, the girls were fighting with each other. Hitting. Derek and Meredith each took a daughter and pulled them away from each other.

The parents waited impatiently until their daughters calmed down. Derek spoke up first. "Now would someone please tell me what is going on here?" he demanded. "Why are you two fighting?" The girls just glared at each other before they started accusing each other. However, neither of them were easy to understand and Derek stopped them. There was silence. "Morgan, why don't you tell us first?"

Katie huffed. "Why does she get to go first?"

Derek gave her a look. "Because I said so."

Before Morgan could even explain her side of the story, Katie spoke up again. "But she hit me first," she exclaimed.

Meredith turned to her daughter surprised. That did not sound like her. Morgan was ready to fight back. "Only because you told me that you hate my mom and she's an evil stepmother," she defended.

Meredith gave her daughter a stern look again. "Still, you don't hit each other to solve problems. Now apologize to each other and go to your rooms. You're staying home for the day." Katie groaned again and she turned to Derek for help.

The parents gave her a disapproving look. Derek wasn't backing down. "Don't look at me. I'm with Meredith. You two can't go outside today. Maybe you'll use that time to find some way to get along. What happened to you two? You used to be best friends."

"Katie has new friends now," Morgan said sadly. "And she doesn't want to play with her evil stepsister."

"Morgan," Meredith breathed. But it was too late. Morgan slowly went back into her bedroom and shut her bedroom door.

Derek gestured Katie to turn around and march back into her bedroom. The parents looked at each other, not having to say a word. They knew they would have to talk to their daughters and see if they could defuse the situation. It was times like this where Meredith was grateful the girls had their own bedrooms.

Meredith knocked on Morgan's bedroom door and waited for an answer. She listened closely and she could hear a response. Meredith opened the door and saw her daughter lying on her bed with their beloved German Shepherd Prince next to her. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" Morgan shrugged. "Come on. You used to tell me everything." Meredith joined her on the bed. "What's going on?"

Morgan let out a heavy sigh. "Katie and I aren't friends anymore," she explained. "She doesn't want to play with me anymore. She wants to play with her new friends – ones who are _good_ at softball." Meredith understood why her daughter was upset. Morgan wasn't that athletic or competitive and she desperately wanted to fit in with Katie and her friends. It was challenging though and Katie didn't seem to want to help her best friend in improving her skills. "Are we going to end up like you and Aunt Cristina?"

Meredith gave her a gentle smile. "Aunt Cristina and I are still friends. We just aren't as close as we used to be." That was an understatement. "After all, I'm busy taking care of you and your brothers and sisters and your aunt is now the chief of cardio at the hospital." Meredith was proud of her friend for being able to move up in her career, but that also meant she was busier than ever. "So that's why we try to meet a couple of times a month so we can play catch up. It doesn't always work out and then we try again next month. We keep trying because we don't want to lose our friendship."

"But Katie doesn't even want to try," Morgan moaned. "And now I don't have any friends."

"I'm sure that's not true," Meredith said, doing her best to comfort her. Meredith wished she could help her. She thought for a moment. "Maybe it's time for us to find an activity you love to do instead of following Katie all the time," she suggested.

"But we'll talk about that later. Right now, I want to talk about your fight with Katie. I understand you were angry at her for calling me an 'evil stepmother'. That wasn't right. And I appreciate you wanting to defend me. But you and I both know that violence isn't the answer. In fact, you know better than to use anything but your words to solve problems, don't you?" Morgan was quiet, but she nodded her head. "That's what I thought. Now your dad and I will deal with Katie, but you still need to apologize for hitting her. And you still can't go to the park."

"That's okay. I didn't want to go to the park anyway," Morgan told her. "I was only going because of Katie."

"I see," Meredith replied. Morgan wasn't going to get out of her punishment that easily. "Well, I guess your dad and I have to come up with another punishment." Morgan made a face. "I know, but one of the rules of this house is no hitting each other. Let me know when you're ready to apologize to Katie." She got up from the bed and she left the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

At the same time, Derek was coming out of Katie's bedroom. He let out a heavy sigh. "I hope you did better than I did. Katie thinks she did nothing wrong by calling you an 'evil stepmother'. She wasn't happy when I told her I agreed with you about doing her chores before going outside. Where is this attitude coming from? She never used to be this way. Maybe having a full house is getting to her. Maybe we're not spending enough one-on-one time with each of our children. I know I'm not."

Meredith gave him a comforting smile. "You're doing great. The good part is that it's summer. The kids are home all day now. So you'll get to see them more often." Derek smiled in agreement as he followed Meredith down to the first floor. "But it may not have anything to do with having a full house. Maybe it's because she knows you will let her get away with anything she wants."

"That's not true," Derek protested. "I do not let her get away with anything she wants. I just told her she can't go to the park until she apologizes to Morgan." Meredith gave him a look. Derek wasn't sure what he did wrong. "What?"

Meredith raised her eyebrows. "You're still letting her go to the park?" she asked. Meredith looked at him in disapproval. "Derek, the whole point of the punishment is not letting her go to the park. You've just proved my point. You really need to buckle down and show her who is in charge. Lay down the law. Do I need to remind you about the time Katie and Morgan locked themselves in Morgan's bedroom?"

Derek let out a heavy sigh. That was the perfect example. "How could I forget?"

Meredith told him the story. "You couldn't even convince her to unlock the door. We had to call Addison. Do you know why she was able to get the girls out of the bedroom? Because Katie knew she meant business." Derek was about to respond when Meredith wasn't finished. "Derek, you are a great dad. But we need to be on the same page. We can't have the kids pit us against each other. Or they are just going to walk all over us."

Derek nodded in agreement. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I'll tell Katie that she can't go to the park. And if she doesn't behave, she won't be able to go to summer camp." Meredith looked at him in confusion. "Katie wants to go to summer camp with her friends."

"Summer camp? That sounds like fun," Amelia said as she joined the adults in the kitchen, carrying Abbey on her hip. "While you and Derek were dealing with the girls, Owen came by and C.J. is working with him. And I changed Nicky again. I tried to convince him to go potty, but it was too late."

"Of course it was," Meredith groaned as Abbey reached out for Derek. Derek took Abbey from her aunt's arms. "Thanks for taking care of him. Where is he? He's not bothering C.J. while he spends time with Owen, right? You know how C.J. gets upset when the twins interrupt his time with Owen."

Amelia tried to calm her down. "Would you relax? Nicky is watching the Muppets in the den," she replied. "Perfect distraction."

Derek laughed as he glanced at his wife. "Looks like I'm not the only one who needs to change parenting styles." Amelia looked at him curiously. "Apparently, Meredith believes I need to be stricter when it comes to Katie. And she needs to let loose."

"Let loose?" Meredith asked. "What does that mean?"

"You're overprotective," Derek explained. "I understand for making sure C.J. and the twins have supervision. They need supervision, but Katie and Morgan are getting older. They need more independence from us."

Meredith gave him a look. "They are eight-years-old. They still need a little supervision."

"Meredith's right," Amelia agreed. "You are too laid back when it comes to disciplining Katie. I'm the aunt. It's _my_ job to spoil my nieces and nephews. And if Katie wants to go to summer camp, I'm willing to help pay for it."

"Thank you, but I would have to discuss it with Addison first," Derek replied. "That's a big step for us to let her go off for two weeks in another state without either of us around to supervise her."

"That's what camp counselors are for," Amelia reminded him. "Besides, it's a perfect opportunity for her to venture out into the world. To make new friends. To do fun art projects. And swimming. And canoeing. And hiking. You should let her do it."

"I'm still going to talk it over with Addison and see what she says," Derek said. He turned to Meredith. "What do you think?"

Meredith was quiet for a few moments as she thought about their conversation. Maybe she did need to be less protective and allow the kids to go out and explore. "Maybe it would be good for Katie to go. She can have fun and we can have more time with the other kids." There was a short pause. "And maybe it will be good for Katie and Morgan to be away from each other for a couple of weeks."

Derek nodded in agreement. He knew exactly what she was thinking. If they were apart for a couple of weeks, perhaps that will make them realize how much they miss each other. And they will go back to being friends again. "Absence does make the heart grow fonder."


	3. Mother Knows Best

**Chapter Three**

 **Mother Knows Best**

Over the next few days, Derek and Meredith made sure the girls got along without any more fighting. With Morgan not being confident in playing sports, her family did their best to help her improve her baseball skills. The parents also decided to do a one on one day with each child over the course of the summer. Whatever they wanted to do for that afternoon. Lunch. Park. Baseball game. And then the other kids would be watched by a baby-sitter.

Soon, Addison came to Seattle for her weekend visit with her new boyfriend Jake. Derek and Jake got along great especially after Derek found out about Jake's adoptive daughter. He was impressed Jake was willing to take a child who wasn't biologically his and raise the child. Katie interrupted the happy conversation to remind her father about talking to her mother about attending summer camp.

After the discussion with Addison, the two parents gave permission for Katie to attend summer camp. Katie was thrilled and she wanted to tell her friends right away. Derek and Meredith gave her permission to go and tell her friends. "Come straight back," he told her. While Katie was preparing to leave, the phone rang again. Derek answered it as he realized who it was. Meredith looked at him curiously. Derek pulled the phone away from him for a minute. "It's Lizzie," he told her before he put the phone back to his ear. "Hey, what's up?"

Meredith watched as his face turned from a happy face to a frown. She immediately knew something was wrong. She listened quietly as he spoke. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do for you or the kids?" he asked before he went to the other room for privacy. Meredith's curiosity peaked and she wondered what was going on. From what it sounded like, something happened with either Lizzie or her husband.

She kept an eye on the rest of the kids while she waited patiently for Derek to return and tell her the news. When he finally returned to the room, he had a sad look on his face. "Is everything okay with Lizzie?" she asked.

Derek let out a heavy sigh. "Lizzie and her husband have separated and her kids are having a really hard time with it." Meredith felt bad for her and her family. She knew exactly what the family was going through. Lizzie was now going to be a single mom to three young children. Who didn't quite understand why their parents had been arguing. Or unhappy. Who didn't understand why their dad moved out. Or why they won't get to see him every day. Derek's voice brought her back to reality. "I didn't even know they were having problems."

Meredith gave him a look. She wasn't going to let him do that to himself. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. This was happening in New York, not Seattle. Besides, I'm sure Lizzie and her husband wanted to keep it private. If we were having problems, do you think I would want the whole world to know about us?"

Derek knew she had a point. "I know she has Kathleen and Nancy, but they have never gone through this before. I have so that's why she called me. She asked for my advice since I had gone through it before. I gave her some suggestions, but I want to do more for her."

"Like what?" Meredith asked, noticing the thoughtful look on Derek's face.

Derek was quiet for a moment. "What would you say to us visiting my family in New York for a few days?" Meredith didn't have a chance to respond. "I know it's last minute, but Lizzie needs me right now. So does her kids."

"Are we going to New York?" Morgan asked as she came into the living room. "Does that mean we're not going to Disneyland?" she asked, trying not to sound too disappointed. That was the family vacation that Derek and Meredith had planned for that summer. Owen and Amelia were coming along to help out.

Meredith gave her a comforting smile. "No, don't worry. We are still planning to go to Disneyland. Your dad might just be taking off for a few days to check on Aunt Lizzie and her family. That's all."

Derek waited until Morgan disappeared with her snack before he spoke again. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You want me to go to New York by myself and leave you alone with all five kids? Absolutely not!"

"Why not? I've done it before," Meredith reminded him. "And I'll have plenty of help. You're right. Lizzie needs you. And as much as we would love to join you, you know we can't afford to take the whole family there. Otherwise, we're going to have to sacrifice an activity we have planned with the kids already. Do you really want to tell Katie that we can't afford to send her off to summer camp? Or tell Morgan that we can't go to Disneyland?"

Derek let out another heavy sigh. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. They had set aside a lot of money for their summer plans. It wasn't fair to take away one activity to head to New York. His sister needed him. That was for sure. His family could come with him another time.

He looked at her. "Ok, are you sure you can handle everything by yourself?" he asked. Meredith nodded. "The twins with their potty-training? Morgan feeling left out? You know it's not like the school year. They are going to be home all day. And you still have work at the clinic. And you need time to run errands and do chores around the house."

Meredith stopped him before he could speak any further. She held up her hand. "Thank you, but I have done this before. Abbey is an expert with potty-training. So I will only have to work on Nicky. I will keep an eye on the girls to make sure they are getting along. I only work at the clinic during the mornings so I'm sure I can find someone to baby-sit the kids. And the girls have their own chores to do now. Like making sure their rooms are cleaned and dusting. And watering the plants. And Morgan is already helping me with the laundry."

"Morgan isn't the daughter I'm worried about," Derek replied.

The front door opened, signaling that Katie had returned. Before Derek could stop her, she spoke. "Girls, can you come in the living room for a moment?" she called before she turned back to her husband. "Stop worrying. Everything will be fine." Derek wished he had her confidence. The two older girls entered the living room. Their parents gestured them to the sofa. Meredith cut right to the chase. "Girls, your dad is going to New York to visit Aunt Lizzie for a few days."

"By yourself?" Katie asked.

Derek nodded. "Yes. So that means that you two will have to help Meredith out more," said Derek as he looked directly at Katie. "That means doing your chores without complaint. Helping with C.J., Nicky and Abbey. Listening to Meredith and following her rules. That means no taking off without her permission. I don't care if Aunt Amelia says 'yes'. Make sure it's okay with Meredith first. Do you understand me?" he asked. Katie nodded. He gave both of his daughters a kiss before he gave his wife a kiss. "I should go and make a few phone calls. Make sure I can get the time off." He disappeared from the kitchen. The girls were right behind him.

Meredith went to check on the rest of the kids. The twins were still napping while C.J. was watching a television show. She let out a happy sigh. She wished every day could be like this. Quiet. Peaceful. One where she could get things done without the chaos of solving problems of parenthood. Even though she was one parent down, she was sure she would be able to handle things by herself. It was only a few days. What could go wrong?


	4. Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

**Chapter Four**

 **Tell Me Sweet Little Lies**

For the final night before Derek had to leave, they decided to do a family game night. Even Katie was willing to participate. For dinner, they ordered pizza and soda as they decided which games they were going to play. After a little bit of arguing, they were able to agree on _Uno_ and _Trouble_. Although, C.J. was kind enough to remind them that the game wasn't for toddlers.

Derek smiled at his son. "Yes, we will play the game after the twins have gone to bed. That way, they won't disturb us."

"I want Uncle Owen to join us," C.J. said as he began to organize the cards. His sisters knew better than to try and help him. It would just make him even more upset. "Is he coming?"

Derek and Meredith looked at each other. How could they tell him that Owen wasn't invited to their family game night? Derek chose his next words carefully. "Actually, it's just going to be the five of us tonight, okay?" he said gently. "Uncle Owen and Aunt Amelia had plans of their own."

"But I want Uncle Owen," C.J. whined. The family knew that voice. It was the voice of a young boy who was on the verge of a tantrum. "He always comes over to play games with me." Derek did his best to calm his son down and Katie stepped in to help. Meredith picked up Abbey and took Nicky's hand. She didn't want C.J. to scare the twins and cause them to cry.

C.J. jumped up excitedly as they heard a knock at the front door. He ran to the door with Meredith right behind him, still holding Abbey. He flung it open and his face fell when he saw it was Mark. "You're not Uncle Owen." He disappeared back into the den.

Meredith was about to apologize when Mark sighed. He already looked defeated and he wasn't even in the door yet. "It's okay. It's been that kind of day. I need to talk to you. Can I come in for a moment?" he asked. Meredith nodded and she let him into the foyer. It wasn't often he came there to talk to her, but she was willing to listen. "I don't know if Derek told you, but I'm going with him to New York. And I was wondering if you could keep an eye on Lexie for me. I don't know if you have noticed, but she's been a little off lately."

"I have to admit that I haven't had a chance to visit her since the baby has been born," Meredith told him as she balanced Abbey on her hip. "Is she okay?"

Mark didn't answer for a moment. "Well, I'm not an expert, but I think she's suffering from postpartum depression. Of course, she's in denial about it. Can you just keep an eye on her especially since she's dealing with a jealous big brother?" Meredith nodded. Mark gave her a small smile. "Thanks Meredith. I would tell her to go and see a therapist, but I don't think she's in the mood to agree with me." Meredith nodded. Mark gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Meredith gave him an apologetic look. "I would invite you in, but I don't want C.J. to be upset by allowing you to come in when Uncle Owen wasn't invited." Mark nodded understandingly. "I'll look after Lexie and the boys for you. I promise."

"Tell Derek I'll pick him up tomorrow morning," Mark told her. They said their goodbyes before Meredith shut the door.

Meredith and Abbey returned to the den where her family was waiting for her. Derek looked at her curiously. "I heard you were talking to Mark. Is everything okay?" he asked. Meredith gave him a quick answer as she noticed C.J. was still pouting on the sofa. Derek lowered his voice. "He doesn't want to play if Uncle Owen isn't invited. I tried to tell him that Uncle Owen can't be here every time we play a game."

"Did you tell him that it's your last night to be with us for a few days?" Meredith asked. Derek nodded. Meredith let out a sigh. She wasn't sure what to do. "What do you want to do? Do you want to call Owen and ask him to come over?"

Derek shook his head. "No, we can't call Owen every time C.J. wants him. It's not fair to Owen." Meredith agreed. "We just have to continue to teach him that he doesn't need Owen all the time. He can have fun with his family. Can you handle that while I'm gone?" Meredith gave him a look. Derek realized his mistake. "Okay, I'll stop asking you if you can handle things by yourself."

"Dad, when is the pizza going to get here?" Katie moaned. "It seems like we have been waiting forever."

Derek looked at the time. "I'm sure it will be here any minute. Why don't you and Morgan get the paper plates and cups out of the cupboard?" he suggested. Katie and Morgan disappeared into the kitchen. "They are in the cupboard, right?"

"Yes, they should be by the picnic basket," Meredith replied with a smile. "I'll go help them." They shared a kiss before Meredith went into the kitchen. She helped the girls find the paper plates and cups and put them on the table. As they began rearranging, they heard the doorbell ringing. Meredith went to help Derek with the younger kids while the girls finished setting the table.

After eating dinner, they settled down in the den to start Family Game Night. The night went by quickly and it was soon time for them to get the kids to bed. After saying good night to Katie and Morgan, Meredith returned to Derek's side on the sofa. They snuggled up close to each other and Derek let out a happy sigh.

"I wish we could do that every night," Derek told his wife. Meredith agreed. "This was the perfect evening. We had a rough start, but C.J. was able to adjust without Owen being here. And everyone got along. Neither the twins had any accidents we had to clean up."

"Don't jinx it," Meredith warned him. Derek laughed. "So do you want to know why Mark wanted to talk to me and not you?"

"I have a guess," Derek replied. "When we were at the party, he told me Lexie have been a little more moody since the baby was born. He's worried about her. And I can't say I blame him. Addison was the same way after Katie was born. Actually, I think she had post-partum depression both times if I remember correctly. It was hard, but she was able to recover from it and I'm sure Lexie will too."

"Maybe I should give her Dr. Wyatt's number just in case," Meredith suggested before the conversation was interrupted by her cell-phone ringing. Meredith checked who the mystery caller was and frowned. "That's weird. It's Owen." She put the phone to her ear. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just need you to come down to the hospital," Owen told her. "Normally, I wouldn't ask you, but we need your help. There's a patient here who is acting erratic and I think you're the only one who can calm him down."

Meredith was even more confused. "Calm who down?" she asked. There was silence on the other end. By now, Meredith knew a long pause was never good. "Owen, what's going on?" she asked anxiously. "You're scaring me."

Owen let out a heavy sigh. "Cristina and Alex are going to kill me for saying this, but it's Finn." Meredith nearly dropped the phone. "I'll explain the whole story when you get here, but I thought you deserve to know."

Meredith was at a loss for words. Derek looked at her in confusion. "Why me? Why isn't psych taking care of him?"

"Because he keeps insisting he's fine," Owen explained. "And you know better than anyone about his medical history. Can you please come?"

Meredith let out a heavy sigh. "Alright. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up the phone as Derek looked at her curiously. What could she tell him? She didn't quite feel comfortable telling him the truth. Derek was sure to get upset with her if he knew it was Finn. "That was Owen. There's a patient who is having some issues and Owen thought I could help him out. It shouldn't take very long." She gave him a kiss before she moved from the sofa. "I'll be back soon."

Derek wasn't falling for it. "Why would a patient need your help? What could you do to help the patient?" Meredith was quiet for a moment. Derek gave his wife a look. "Meredith, why did Owen need your help with a patient?"

Meredith let out a sigh before she admitted defeat. "Ok. It's Finn." Derek raised his eyebrows in surprise. Meredith grabbed her jacket from the hook that was by the front door. "Yes, it's my ex-boyfriend and Morgan's biological dad. I don't know why he's here. I didn't even know he was in Seattle until Owen called me." Derek wanted to ask questions, but Meredith stopped him. "I don't know what happened, but he needs my help." Meredith tried to run through scenarios in her head, but she realized she couldn't play that game. Not yet. "It sounds like he's in shock from an accident or something. I won't really know anything until I get there."

Meredith was about to go out the door when Derek got up from the sofa. He reached her before she could open the door. She looked at him. "Whoa, where are you going?" Meredith still had a blank expression on her face. Derek tried to find the right words. "Is there a reason why Owen felt like calling you? You're not his girlfriend anymore. From what you told me, he has a wife now. Why isn't she with him?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since he told me about his fiancée and I told him about the twins," Meredith replied. "Maybe they divorced or something. I don't know. The only reason why Owen called me is that Finn is refusing medical treatment and Owen thought I could help convince him. Not to mention I know more about his medical history than anyone else. We may not be in a relationship, but he needs my help. I'm not going to turn away from him."

Derek let out a sigh. "Just be careful," he told her.

Meredith nodded and they shared one last kiss before she went out the door. Meredith let out a relieved sigh. She managed to get away with Finn's secret. If Derek knew the truth about Finn, he would have even been more worried about letting her go see him. It would make him worried about Morgan. And the other kids. There was nothing to worry about though. Finn wouldn't hurt anybody. Meredith was sure of it.


	5. Learning To Fall

**Chapter Five**

 **Learning To Fall**

When Meredith arrived at the hospital, Owen was already waiting for her. and gently pulled her in the hallway For a moment, Meredith thought the worst before she realized he just didn't want Alex or Cristina to find out she was there. "What's going on? Is Finn okay?" Meredith asked anxiously. She really didn't have time for this.

"Can we talk privately?" Owen asked. Meredith knew those words were never good, but she followed him in a private room. It was one of the rooms where the doctor would bring the patients' relatives in when they had bad news. Meredith wondered if she was going to be one of those people.

Owen closed the door before he looked at her. "What is Finn's medical history?" he asked. "Because he won't tell us and Alex says he has shown signs of borderline personality disorder, but he was never officially diagnosed. Is that true?"

Meredith didn't answer for a moment. "Finn didn't want medication and I thought I could help him myself. Why? What's going on? What's with all the secrecy?"

"Because the police will ask you the same questions and I want to make sure I'm not missing anything," Owen told her. Meredith looked at him, still confused. The police? What the hell was going on? "I shouldn't be telling you this, but Finn has run into some trouble with the law and they want to know if he's competent to stand trial."

Meredith looked at him with wide eyes. "Competent to stand trial? What did Finn do?" Owen remained silent. "Owen, what the hell did he do?" she demanded. She didn't like the silence. The silence worried her.

"I can't say. I just know he's in a lot of trouble with the police," Owen replied as his beeper went off. He glanced at it. "Oh, I have to go. Just stay here. I'll get the officers to talk to you in here." He didn't let Meredith answer as he disappeared through the door.

Meredith wanted to go after him. Or to find Finn and ask him herself. But she was afraid of the answer. Whatever Finn was involved in, it wasn't good. She waited impatiently until there was a knock at the door. A person poked his head into the room. He was clearly an officer as he was wearing a uniform and a badge. "Meredith Grey?" he asked. Meredith nodded. The officer stepped into the room. "I'm Officer Smith. I'm here to ask you some questions about Finn Dandridge."

Meredith interrupted him. "Is he okay?" she asked anxiously. She wanted answers. "Nobody will tell me anything."

"Mr. Dandridge was in a car accident and he suffered some head trauma. Dr. Hunt believes he's going to be fine. There were some concerns about the baby, but Dr. Karev believes he will be okay." Meredith had a blank expression on her face. "Is there something wrong, ma'am?"

Meredith managed to get her words out. "Yes, I don't understand. What are you talking about? What baby?"

Officer Smith looked down at his notes. "There was a child in the vehicle with Mr. Dandridge and he told the paramedics that the baby was his son."

Meredith shook her head. She couldn't get the thought out of her head that Finn had another child. "No, that's not possible. Finn told me that he never wanted children. Are you sure?"

Officer Smith nodded. "Yes, he was very concerned about him. Now what can you tell me about your relationship with Mr. Dandridge?"

Meredith let out a heavy sigh as she sat down on a chair. She wasn't ready to tell the story, but it had to come out. "What do you want to know? I don't know what Dr. Hunt or Dr. Karev told you about Finn, but I wasn't in an actual relationship with him. I met him in medical school. When we first met, he did show signs of borderline personality disorder. He wasn't diagnosed because he refused medication. So I didn't push it and I helped him as much as I could. And he was fine for a while." There was a short pause. "I think he began to have feelings for me, but I was afraid of commitment. Then I became pregnant with his child. That's when the problems began again and I feared for my daughter's safety. I encouraged him to get help, but I couldn't stay with him anymore."

Officer Smith gave her a sympathetic look. Meredith continued her story. "I wanted to check on him, but I had to take care of my daughter. I didn't see him again until long after I had fallen in love with another man and I was pregnant with his kids. Finn came to see me because he told me he was getting married and he wanted to make sure he had no more romantic feelings for me. I thought he was better. He looked happy." She corrected herself. "He was happy. He even was willing to give permission to my new husband to adopt my daughter as his daughter. Now I still don't quite understand why he has been asking for me when he should be asking for his own wife. Why isn't she here with him and his child?"

There was silence again. Meredith knew the silence wasn't good. Officer Smith looked at her. "Ms. Grey, Mr. Dandridge is under investigation for murdering his wife."

Meredith froze for a moment. She couldn't believe her ears. She shook her head vigorously. "No, you must be mistaken. Finn may do a lot of things when he is in one of his moods, but there's no way he would kill someone. You have the wrong man."

"Did he ever get physical with you?" Officer Smith asked. Meredith didn't have a chance to respond. "You just said you were scared for your daughter's life. What did he do to make you want to leave him?"

Meredith jumped up from her chair. "I think this conversation is over," she declared as she grabbed her purse. "If you want to go ahead and test Finn with the diagnosis, go ahead. But if you think I'm going to stand here and listen to you accusing him of murdering his wife, you have another thing coming." She stormed out of the room without another word.

As she made her way back towards the exit, she heard someone calling her name. She looked over her shoulder and found Alex. She didn't even let him say anything. "Don't give me a lecture. If you want to yell at someone, yell at Owen. He was the one who told me."

Alex didn't even seem bothered by the fact that she was there. Instead, he went straight to the topic of Finn. "You told the police the truth about Finn, right?" he asked. "You told them about how erratic he acted with you? And how he didn't want to take any medications because he didn't believe anything was wrong with him?" Meredith just nodded his head. "It was the right thing to do, Mere. Now he will finally get the help he needs."

Meredith gave him a look. "Finn didn't kill anybody," she protested. Why was it that she was the only one who believed him? It's no wonder he wanted her to come and talk to the police. Nobody else was on his side. Alex gave her a skeptical look. "Is it true? Finn had another child with his wife?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, his name is Noah," he replied softly. Meredith listened as Alex told her about his condition. To her relief, Noah was hanging in there. "Social services has been contacted and he will probably be placed in a foster home once he's medically cleared." Meredith nodded understandingly. "I didn't get any information from Finn about any relatives who would be willing to take him. Are there any relatives like Finn's parents or something?"

Meredith shook her head. "No, Thatcher is the only grandparent Morgan has left."

Alex was quiet for a moment. "Of course, there's always a third option. But I didn't think you and Derek would be willing to take the baby. He is Morgan's half-brother."

Meredith didn't respond as she left him and headed to the parking lot. As she walked back towards her vehicle, the shock began to wear off. Other feelings began to set in. The feeling of disappointment. Guilt. Anger. Embarrassment. But she was feeling more worried than ever before. It was entirely possible Finn had killed his wife. Why else would he return to Seattle if he wasn't on the run?

Meredith was surprised he had done so well after she left him. If only she felt the same about Morgan. If only she knew Morgan was okay. Especially since she and Katie had been growing apart. It made Meredith wonder if she needed to get Morgan tested, just to be sure. At the same time, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

It brought her back to the memories of when Lizzie suggested to Derek that C.J. had Asperger's. Derek was in denial for such a long time that he had to go to rehab to help accept his son's diagnosis. Meredith didn't want the family to go through that again. She already had the fear she inherited the Alzheimer's gene from her mother. She didn't want to discover Morgan inherited her father's condition. Not now. Not when Finn had returned to Seattle with his son.

Meredith let that news sink again as she climbed into her car. His son. Morgan's half-brother. Was he still considered her half-brother when his father signed the adoption papers and allowed Derek to adopt Morgan as his own daughter? Meredith wasn't sure how that all worked. She was never one to be close to her biological family. Lexie was the only exception.

Should they take in Noah? Even though he was Finn's son, he was still Morgan's half-brother. Shouldn't she have the right to know her baby brother? Could they even afford to have another child? They already had five kids. Derek and Meredith wasn't planning on having any more.

Did they even have room for another child? Both Katie and Morgan already had their own bedrooms and it was best for them to be separate. With Amelia moving out, they were planning to move Nicky or Abbey out of their room and into the bedroom. Meredith didn't even know how old the baby was. What did this baby need?

Meredith snapped out of her thoughts as she heard her cellphone ringing. Looking at the caller ID, she saw it was Derek. She picked up the phone and put it to her ear. She managed to get a greeting before she let Derek speak. "I was just calling to check in. Did you get everything sorted out?" he asked.

Meredith didn't want to lie to him, but she didn't want to tell him the news over the phone. "Yeah, I'll be home in a little bit," Meredith promised. "How are the kids? Do I need to help you run interference?"

Derek laughed. "No, but I would like to see my wife before I leave tomorrow morning." Meredith had completely forgotten about Derek leaving for New York. This was not the right time to discuss Finn or Noah.

"Well, I should get going then," Meredith replied. "I love you." Derek had the same response. She then hung up the phone. She let out another heavy sigh before she put the key in the ignition and backed the car out of the parking space.

When Meredith arrived home, Derek was the only one there to greet her. She barely registered him, still lost in thought. Derek noticed the faraway look and brought her back to reality. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked. Meredith didn't answer. He frowned as his thoughts immediately went to Finn. "Everything wasn't fine when you went to the hospital, was it?"

Meredith wasn't sure how to break the news to Derek. She didn't even have the energy to argue with him. "I just found out that Morgan has a little half-brother and his father might be going to prison for murdering his wife."


	6. Room For One More

**A/N:** I do apologize for not updating in a long time. My muse moved away from fanfiction stories to my own original stories and publishing them.

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

 **Room For One More**

When Meredith woke up the next morning, she didn't even pay attention to the empty bed next to her. She was a little disappointed he didn't wake her up to say goodbye. At the same time, she couldn't blame him after their argument last night. After Derek had gotten over the shock of hearing Finn might be a murderer, he wanted to cancel his trip and stay with his family. However, Meredith insisted she would be fine. However, neither of them knew what they wanted to do about Noah. Derek understood Noah was Morgan's half-brother, but he didn't think they could handle any more children.

Both Amelia and Owen were in the kitchen with the kids. Amelia was setting the cereal bowls in front of the twins while Owen was working away at the stove. The older kids were eating their breakfast and Meredith smiled to herself when she saw Morgan and Katie were having a nice conversation without arguing. From what she was hearing, they were talking about their summer reading list.

Meredith didn't want to interrupt the conversation. Owen did it for her. "Meredith, good morning. I know you weren't expecting me, but I took the day off. I thought I could be here to help you and Amelia with the kids." They exchanged knowing looks. He was here for more than just to help her with the kids. It had to be more about Finn.

"His date was interrupted because he was called into work," Katie told her. Amelia gave her a look. "What? It's true," she defended. "And C.J. was mad he wasn't here last night. So Uncle Owen couldn't win last night."

"No, I certainly couldn't," Owen agreed. "But today is a new day. And today, I'm going to split my time between Aunt Amelia and you kids. Meredith, can I make you a cup of coffee?" he offered. Meredith nodded and he prepared the coffee.

It wasn't until the afternoon when Amelia took the girls and C.J. to the library and the twins were down for their nap was when Meredith was able to sit down with Owen. They sat down in the living room and faced each other. "So what's going on with Finn?" Meredith asked. "And don't even start with the doctor-patient confidentiality crap. You already broke that when you told me about Finn last night. Is he okay?"

"All Finn kept saying was that he wanted to see you and his son," Owen told her. "I told the police he probably won't be competent to stand trial and he will be sent to a facility where he can get the proper medical treatment." There was a short pause. "He wasn't happy about that, but he was willing to cooperate if you were willing to take Noah in." Meredith raised her eyebrows in surprise. Was Finn serious?

Meredith interrupted Owen. "Wait, he was in denial about his condition. Now he's willing to not only admit it, but get help for his condition?"

"Not exactly," Owen replied. Of course there was a catch. There was always a catch. "He's still in denial about his condition, but he wants his son to be taken care of. He doesn't want him to grow up in foster care. He's aware you already have a full house, but he knows he can trust you in taking care of his son. And he is Morgan's half-brother."

"Really? Because the last time I checked, Finn signed papers to allow Derek to adopt her," Meredith snapped. She took a deep breath as she realized she was getting a little too angry. She lowered her voice. "I'm sorry. I just didn't expect Finn to come in and disrupt my life again. I thought that was over."

Owen nodded understandingly as he embraced her in a tight hug. "You don't have to do this, but Finn is refusing to get help unless you take over his son's care."

Meredith let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe I can talk to him and convince him that social services would be the best thing for his son. I can't take care of another child right now, especially since I already have five children. Even if Derek was here, we couldn't handle it. That's six kids. Derek and I thought about me going back to full-time once the twins were in school for the whole day."

Owen frowned. "I thought you loved being available for field trips or picking them up after school and helping them with their homework. I know I would. I know the kids are growing up, but they still need you. And it sounds like Noah needs you too. But I don't want to make the decision for you. Just please think about it some more before you make your final decision."

"Before I do anything, I would have to talk to Derek again," Meredith replied as they heard ringing. Meredith recognized the ringtone as the ringtone she chose for Derek. She left the living room and followed the ringing to the kitchen. She picked up the phone and she wanted to apologize. She could hear Derek apologizing at the same time.

They both laughed before Meredith told Derek about Finn's decision. "I know you don't want to take on another kid. I don't either, but Noah is Morgan's little brother. And it doesn't have to be permanently. It would only be until Finn gets better."

 _"What if he doesn't get better? What if he changes his mind as soon as the baby is handed to us? What if he takes off again? What then?"_

Meredith understood his points. She had those same fears. Yet, she began to feel that it was the right thing to do. "What if it was Addison?" she countered. "What if it was her child instead? If she had problems she needed to work out and asked to leave the child with us, would you say 'no'? Or would you want to help her? Or what if something happened to Mark and Lexie and our nephews had to move in with us? That would be two kids instead of one." Derek didn't answer. "There's a reason why everyone wanted us to be the guardians of their kids. We kick ass at this."

Derek let out a heavy sigh. _"You're right. Noah deserves to be with family. However, you have to promise me that this is only going to be temporary. We have enough on our plates as it is. I want Finn to stick to his promise and come back to his son."_

"I will talk to him and make sure he understands our terms," Meredith promised as Owen stood in the doorway to hear what the verdict was. "Look at this way, we will now have an even number of boys and girls."

Derek managed to laugh. _"I still think it's a bad idea, but I'm willing to do it for you and Morgan. I want her to know her little brother. Please have Owen in the room with you when you talk to him. I don't want you to talk to him alone. Promise me you won't talk to him alone."_

"I will make sure Owen is with me when I talk to him," Meredith assured him. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just take care of Lizzie and her family." They talked a little bit longer before Meredith hung up the phone. Owen looked at her with interest. Meredith gave him a look. "You know Derek gave me the go ahead. Now I just want a little more information about the baby first."

"You're going to have to talk to Alex about that," Owen said. "Finn is my patient. Alex is Noah's doctor. Although, I can say Noah is four months old and he has had no trauma from the accident." Meredith let out a relieved sigh. "I know you're worried about Finn's condition being hereditary and the only way to find out is to get Morgan and Noah tested."

"Morgan is fine," Meredith assured him as they heard the front door open. The conversation stopped as Meredith went to greet her children. Owen was right behind her. The children happily showed their haul of books before they went to start reading them. "Well, I'd say that was a successful afternoon. Did the girls get along okay?"

Amelia nodded. "Katie is really making a good effort to include Morgan. I'm not sure whether it's so she could go to camp, but I would enjoy it while it lasts." Meredith had to agree. Amelia lowered her voice. "So do you mind telling me what's all the secrecy is about? I know you guys are hiding something from me."

"I'll make you a cup of coffee and I'll tell you all about it," Meredith replied and Amelia followed her into the kitchen. Owen disappeared in the den to keep an eye on C.J. She was relieved since she could only handle one opinion at a time.

Amelia shook her head. "I don't think so. The smell of coffee has been bothering me a little bit."

Meredith looked at her with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Really? Any other changes lately? Like nausea? Or eating habits?"

Amelia tried not to laugh. "I'm going to stop you right there. I know what you are thinking and we've been down this road before. I'm not pregnant. I just moved back in with Owen. We're not even close to walking down the aisle yet. Besides, I don't know if I want to follow in your footsteps by getting pregnant before we get engaged."

"You aren't one who likes to do things the traditional way," Meredith said. "But heightened sense of smell is an early sign of pregnancy."

"Ok, we came in here to talk about you, not me," Amelia reminded her. "Now what's going on?"

Meredith gave her the short version and Amelia gasped in surprise. "You're going to take care of the baby? That's so sweet. I'll do everything I can to help out. I'll even postpone my moving in with Owen so you can have another babysitter."

"That's sweet, but we were planning to make your room into a bedroom for Abbey," Meredith said. "Abbey and Nicky need their own bedrooms."

"You also need another person to help you. Especially since you are planning to take in another kid," Amelia argued. "Maybe you can make the basement into another playroom and guest room. Or the attic. That way, there's plenty of room for everyone."

"Do you really think the girls would be willing to move to the attic? Do you not know the fairytales? Attic means tower and that's where the princesses were locked up, waiting to be rescued," Meredith countered. "Besides, the attic is so full of boxes that it would take a while for us to sort it all out and move them down to the basement." She thought about the basement idea. "But I suppose the basement would work. It's certainly big enough for a guestroom. They could have their own private bathroom. I just don't know when we'll have the time to work on it."

"There's no time like the present," Amelia replied. Before Meredith could respond, Amelia opened the basement door and she went down the rickety stairs. Meredith was right behind her. Amelia looked around at the huge empty room, impressed. "Yeah, I think there's definitely enough room for a guest room and bathroom down here. I'm surprised you didn't do anything with the space sooner."

"There was no need to do anything with the basement. It was just me and Morgan. Then when Derek and the kids moved in, there was enough room for everyone to play in the den. But now we have the twins and it's getting a little more crowded. I almost feel like we need a bigger house."

Amelia shook her head. "Nonsense. You just need to make a little more room. That's all."

"What are you doing?" a voice asked as Morgan and Katie appeared at the top of the stairs. Amelia gestured them to join them. They came downstairs as Katie asked the question again. "Why are you in the basement?"

"We're thinking about turning this place into a private space for guests," Amelia told them. "It's getting a little crowded upstairs and the basement is never used. So why not turn it into a guestroom with a private bathroom? What do you girls think?"

"You want to sleep in the basement?" Katie asked in surprise.

Amelia gave her a smile. "Well, I wouldn't be sleeping in the basement. Your guests would. A lot of people have rooms set up in the basement for their guests or another roommate. It's more private and quiet."

"It sounds like you want to move down here," Katie said. "Is there a reason why you don't want to move in with Uncle Owen?"

"Well, I just thought Meredith would need some extra help since your dad's gone," Amelia replied. "Six kids is a lot to handle." Amelia realized her mistake as Meredith gave her a look.

To their relief, the kids didn't seem to notice. However, the girls were still confused. "Six? I think you need to learn to count," Katie replied. "There's five of us."

"You're right. What was I thinking?" Amelia nodded as she and Meredith exchanged another look. "Who wants an afternoon snack?" she suggested. The girls instantly agreed and they led Meredith and Amelia out of the basement.


	7. You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side

**Chapter Seven**

 **You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side**

Meredith took a deep breath before she followed Owen in the hospital room. Finn let out a relieved sigh as soon as he saw her. "Meredith, I'm so glad you're here. Now you can tell everyone the truth. I would never hurt anyone. You know that, right?" His eyes were begging her to believe him. Meredith nodded as she approached him. "And I'm sorry I am forcing Noah on you, but I had no choice. If you didn't do it, then I would never see my son again. Is he okay?" he asked. "Nobody is letting me see him."

"I'm afraid you can't see him because you're a murder suspect," Owen replied. "But I can assure you that he is being taken care of."

"I didn't kill my wife," Finn protested. "Why doesn't anybody believe me?"

Owen tried to calm him down. "I'm not here to judge you." Although, Meredith was sure he had a few things to say. "I'm your doctor who is trying to help you."

Finn turned to Meredith. He gave her a pleading look. "Please go check on him. I need to know he's alright."

Meredith nodded. "I will. I promise, but we need to discuss a few things first." Meredith was quiet for a few moments as she tried to figure out the right words. "I know you said you wanted Noah to live with me and my family. That will only work if you promise to come back to him once you're feeling better."

Finn gave her a look. "Of course I will. Why wouldn't I?"

Meredith didn't know how to answer. "The last time we had met up, you were pretty adamant with not having any children. What changed?"

"My wife really wanted a child," Finn told her. "And I didn't want to lose her. I wanted to make her happy. So I swallowed my pride and we ended up pregnant." He let out a heavy sigh. "Now I lost her and my son."

"You didn't lose Noah yet," Meredith assured him. Finn didn't look convinced. Neither did Owen. Meredith wasn't even sure if this agreement was going to work out in Finn's favor. He wasn't competent to stand trial for his wife's murder. If he wasn't competent to stand trial, would he be able to take care of his own son? Would he even be able to have custody of him? Meredith didn't want to think too far into the future. Right now, she had to take care of Noah. "I'll go check on him for you." Finn smiled gratefully.

As Meredith headed to the pediatric ward, she ran into Alex. He gave her a smile. "Good. You're here. I was just about to call you. Noah is medically cleared to be released. All you need to do is sign the papers and Noah is all yours."

Meredith looked at him with wide eyes. "What? No, I thought Noah was going to be in the hospital for a few more days." She started panicking. "We're not ready. I don't have anything. I don't have a crib. Or diapers. I haven't even told the kids yet. You are going to have to keep him for a few more days."

Alex gave her a sympathetic look. "If I do, then social services will take him for sure. You have to take him soon. Look, I know you feel unprepared with a full household already. But you're not doing this alone. I just wish I had extra baby clothes, but all I have are baby clothes for girls. I think you girls overdid it with the baby clothes when you had the baby shower for Jo."

Meredith managed a smile. "You can never have too many baby clothes. Now show me where Noah is."

Alex led her to the NICU. Meredith stared down at the sleeping baby. He had a lot of Finn's features including his hair. She felt so bad for Noah. He had lost his mother in the worst possible way and his father had to get help. He had no one else. Meredith remembered how devastated she was when her father left her family. And that caused a fear of abandonment and it took her years to get over that fear. Meredith didn't want that to happen to Noah. She didn't want him to experience that same feeling and think he didn't have any family that wanted him. He was still Morgan's half-brother and she should know him.

"Noah, I know you just lost your Mommy and your daddy needs help, but you still have family," she whispered to him. "You won't be left behind." She turned to Alex, who was still in the room. "Are you sure he's okay?"

Alex nodded. "It was a miracle he wasn't hurt."

Meredith couldn't stop watching Noah sleep. "Can you give me a few hours before I sign him out? I need to go to the store, not to mention tell the kids."

"I'm sure they will love having another brother around," Alex said. "Although, you might have a little trouble with C.J. and the twins." Meredith let out a heavy sigh. "If you want help in explaining things to them, let me know."

Meredith gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks Alex. I'd appreciate that."

A couple of hours later, Meredith returned home, still not ready to tell her children about Noah. Yet, she knew they had be told. When she came into the house, her children were there to greet her. She was relieved since she wanted to tell them as soon as possible. She let them tell about their day before she spoke. "I'm glad you are all here because I have something to tell you. Let's all sit down on the sofa." As the children found seats, she realized there was one child missing. "Where's C.J.?"

"C.J. is having a bad afternoon," Amelia told her as she joined them. She sat down next to Katie and Nicky scrambled for her lap. "So I sent him to his room to cool down."

"I suppose we can tell him later," Meredith said. It was probably best to wait with him. As Alex told her, he wasn't going to understand why they were going to have another person in the house. Meredith sat down next to Morgan and Abbey sat down in her lap.

Meredith took a deep breath before speaking. "Girls, do you remember how half-siblings work? Like Nicky and Abbey are Katie's and C.J.'s half-siblings because they aren't from the same parents?" she asked. Katie and Morgan nodded. "Good. Well, it turns out that Morgan has a half-brother too."

"I do?" Morgan asked surprised. "But you and Dad are married. Are you guys getting a divorce?"

Meredith gave her a comforting smile. "No, Dad and I aren't getting a divorce. Your dad just went to New York to help out Aunt Lizzie. He'll be back." There was a short pause. "No, I'm talking about your biological dad. The one who gave Derek permission to be your daddy. He and his wife had your baby brother Noah and he needs to be looked after for a little while."

"Why can't his own mom and dad take care of him?" Katie asked.

Meredith wondered how much she should share with the girls. "Sadly, his mom passed away and his dad is dealing with some problems right now. And he asked me and Derek to take care of Noah until he can take care of his son. Your dad and I have already discussed it and we agreed to do it on a temporary basis. This is not permanent. It's only for a little while, okay? So I will need your help now more than ever."

"You girls can do that, right?" Amelia encouraged with a smile. "It will be fun. You get to experience having another baby in the house again."

"Is that why you're fixing up the basement? So there is more room for all of us?" Katie asked. "Are you going to make us live in the basement?"

Meredith gave her a look. "Of course not. We really are going to remodel the basement into a guestroom and bathroom."

"Then where is he going to sleep? We don't have any more rooms," Katie asked, making a face. "And I don't want to share my bedroom with Morgan."

"And I don't want to share my bedroom with you," Morgan snapped back.

Meredith stopped the argument before it got any further. "Whoa, nobody said anything about switching bedrooms. Noah is young enough to sleep in a crib and he will be sleeping in the bedroom with me for now." Katie and Morgan still shot nasty glares at each other. "Look, I know this will be a big change for all of us, but I really need you girls to help me, okay? I need you two to be big sisters and help me with the younger kids." She looked from one daughter to the next. "All of the younger kids will need my attention and I can't give it to them all at once."

"Uncle Owen, Uncle Alex and I all will be around to help out, but you girls will have to do your part too," Amelia added. "And I'm sure your dad will appreciate it."

"Are you with me?" Meredith asked. The girls looked at each other before Morgan nodded her head. Everyone looked at Katie. She was silent for a moment before she nodded too. She was relieved the girls were taking it so well. Especially Morgan. "Great. Now we're going to need a list of things to get him including another car seat."

"We don't have enough room for him in the van," Katie said.

"I'm not bringing him home in the van. I'm bringing him home in the car," Meredith said as she picked Abbey up and moved her on her hip. "But you're right. We'll just have to leave that car seat in the car and take two vehicles if we need to go anywhere. Now I'm going to get on the phone with Aunt Lexie and see if she can spare me some extra baby clothes for a four-month-old. If not, we're going to have to go shopping."

"I'll take care of that. You need a car seat anyway," Amelia pointed out as she gently pushed Nicky off her lap. "Who wants to go shopping with me?"

Meredith didn't hear the answer as she grabbed her phone and called Lexie. She left the room so she could hear Lexie. She waited patiently as the phone kept ringing. Her sister finally answered the phone, breathless. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Ask me that again when I'm not trying to run after my toddler," Lexie said in between breaths. Meredith laughed. "I don't know how you do it with five kids. Or should I say six?" Meredith didn't even have a chance to respond. "Your husband can't keep a secret. Wow, Finn has a son. And he wants you to take care of him. How are you feeling about that?"

"It's a little overwhelming," Meredith admitted as she put Abbey down. "But it's only temporary. I just don't have anything prepared and Alex told me Noah is ready to be discharged. I need baby clothes. Are you willing to part with any baby clothes?"

Meredith could hear the happiness in her sister's voice. "Of course I would be happy to contribute to your cause. I'll look through the clothes and I'll make a pile for you to pick up. Just let me know and I'll make sure the pile is ready. How many months old is Noah?"

"According to Alex, he's four-months-old," Meredith replied. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Let me know if you need anything else," Lexie said before she made the excuse that she had to check on the kids.

They said their goodbyes before Meredith hung up. Amelia appeared in the room. "I made a shopping list and Morgan and I are going to go out and get a car seat. I know you should be the one to do it, but I have been with the kids all day. And I need some fresh air." Meredith just nodded, but Amelia could see she was having anxiety. Amelia looked at her. "That's it. I'm not going to move in with Owen. I'm going to stay with you and the kids for a little while longer." Meredith wanted to protest, but Amelia shook her head. "It will only be until Derek gets back from New York. You can't do this by yourself and you shouldn't expect to. It's a lot for one person to handle."

Meredith nodded, knowing she was right. "Looks like Abbey is going to have to stay with her brother for a little while longer."


End file.
